Golf swing training device



Dec. 17, 1968 J. H. BATISTA GOLF SWING TRAINING DEVICE l N VEN TOR. JOSE HEPMQNDEZ BflT/STH' yawgg uzh ATTORNEY Filed Jan. 30. 1967 United States Patent 3,416,803 GOLF SWING TRAINING DEVICE Jos Hernandez Batista, 1822 SW. 99th Place, lVliami, Fla. 33165 Filed Jan. 30, 1967, Ser. No. 612,510 6 Claims. (Cl. 273-186) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A simulated golf club shaft has an extensible gripping handle and an elongated bag connected thereto. The lower end of the bag is secured to the lower end of the shaft by a first ring forming a golf ball entrance mouth which may be swung at a golf ball. The upper end of the bag is secured to the shaft adjacent the upper end thereof and forms a golf ball exit port. The first ring includes (1) inwardly yieldable doors which prevent balls from leaving the bag through the entrance mouth and (2) a chamber in which weights may be inserted to vary the weight of the first ring.

This invention relates to an exercising device and, more particularly, to an exercising device of the type which is useful to perform a simulated game of golf or for practicing golf strokes.

The present invention includes a shaft having a bag with an entrance mouth at the lower end of the shaft in a simulated golf club head and with the bag havingan upper exit, with the exit being arranged intermediate the length of the shaft whereby practice strokes may be taken with the device with the results that the ball will enter the entrance mouth and as the swing is completed and the end of the shaft with the mouth of the bag is raised upwardly the ball will travel through the length of the bag and out the exit port to drop into the hand of the user who will release his hand from the end of the handle to catch the ball.

It is [another object of this invention to provide an inexpensive exercising device capable of use in practicing golf strokes which is adapted for use as a putting type golf stroke device or a club type golf stroke device.

It is another object of this invention to provide an exercising device of the type described having an entrapment means within the bag to capture a golf ball once it has passed through the entrance mouth into the bag so that it must be traveled through to the exit in order to be removed from the bag with the travel being facilitated by a golf type swing of the shaft.

It is another object of this invention to provide an exercising device of the type described having a variable weight lower end to simulate various weights of golfing devices.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device of the type described having an extendable shaft whereby the device is adapted for use by persons of varying height.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device of the type described wherein the bag is removably attached to the shaft for replacement on wear.

In accordance to these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the instant invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the lower end of the device of FIGURE 1 with the entrance mouth of the bag being seen in elevation;

FIGURE 3 is a partial view of the device with the shaft perpendicular to the horizontal and rotated through 90 with respect to the illustration on FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a view in cross-section taken along the plane of line 4-4 of FIGURE 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view of a modified form of the entrance mouth for the bag; and

FIGURE 6 is a view in cross-section taken along the plane indicated by line 6-6 of FIGURE 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts of the different views, and referring particularly to FIGURE 1, the numeral 12 generally designates an exercising device which includes a shaft 14 of elongate form having a lower end 16 and an upper end 18. A grip 20 is provided on the upper end in a simulated golf type device pattern.

A bag 22 of flexible material such as plastic or other type of net material is connected to the shaft. The bag is provided with an enlarged mouth 24 at the lower end and a somewhat constricted exit port 26 at the other end. The end of the bag having the mouth is provided with a ring 28 having a socket element 30 for connection to the end of the shaft. The upper end of the bag having the exit port 26 is also provided with a ring 32 including means 34 to releasa-bly connect to the intermediate portion of the shaft. The means 34 preferably comprise a clevis type of connection circumposed on the shaft and a screw 38 to releasably hold the upper end of the bag to the shaft. Preferably, the ring at the entrance mouth is hollow to define an interior chamber 52 having an entrance port plugged as by 54 and in addition a floor of reduced thickness is provided defining an inclined floor 55 for the purpose of guiding a ball into the entrance mouth. A plurality of weights such as the shots 56 may be provided within the annular chamber 52. to provide weight to the lower end of the device. In the preferred embodiment the entrance mouth of the bag is provided with a captivating means 60 comprising, in the embodiment shown, a pair of doors 62 and 64 which are biased with respect to hinge means 66 to the normally closed position and yieldable in response to an impact thereon to flex interiorly into the bag in an upwardly and backwardly direction of rotation to momentarily open the lower portion of the mouth in response to the impact and to close again on realxation of the impact forces.

Alternatively, and as shown in the partial view of FIG- URE 5 a plurality of extending yieldable flexible fingers 65 may be provided to hold a ball within the bag. The bag is preferably of a yieldable net type material such as plastic or wire screen which has a sufficient structural strength to hold the contour and shape shown in the drawing which is preferably such that the lower portion 70 of the bag extends rearwardly and upwardly from the point of impact which extends outwardly of the shaft when it is in the vertical position shown in FIGURE 3 with the cross-sectional area of the bag being of progressively reduced dimension to a narrowest point of exit at the'connection to the ring intermediate the length of the shaft. Referring to FIGURE 6, it is seen that means 74 are provided for adjustable extension of an upper portion 76 of the shaft with respect to a lower portion 78 with said adjustment means including locking means to hold the extended position which may be by the eccentric cam in wedge type relation against the walls of the handle which in the embodiment shown is tubular.

It will be apparent that in addition to the variations which are possible for the head weight of the device, the cross-sectional area of the entrance mouth may be reduced to improve the aim of the person practicing. That is, the cross-sectional [area of the mouth may be just slightly larger than the cross-sectional area of the conventional golf balls so that unless the users aim is quite accurate the ball will not pass into the bag. It will further be ap- 3 parent that the bag is, by reason of the structure described, separable from the shaft so that it may be replaced with alternative types of bags on wear or on improvement of the aim of the user.

The gripper handle may be of any suitable frictional material such as a rubber or synthetic, as is well known in the art.

In the preferred embodiment the cross-sectional area of the entrance mouth is approximately four inches at the base and with a radius of curvature of the dome shaped roof of the mouth being approximately three inches. The exit port may be of any diameter less than that of the entrance mouth and the circumference is in the order of about two inches.

While the instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is therefore not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent apparatus and articles.

What is claimed is:

'1. A golf swing training device comprising a simulated golf cluf shaft having a lower end and an upper end, said upper end being adapted to be gripped by a golfer, an elongated bag having lower and upper ends, said bag being closed to the passage of a golf ball therethrough except for a golf ball entrance mouth and a golf ball exit port at the respective lower and upper ends of said bag, means for securing said exit port to said shaft adjacent the upper gripping end thereof, means for securing said entrance mouth to the lower end of said shaft so that said entrance mouth may be swung at a golf ball and permit the passage of said golf ball into said bag and the exit of said ball through said exit port adjacent the upper gripping end of said shaft.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein means are provided to restrict removal of a golf ball from the bag through the entrance mouth.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said last mentioned means comprise an inwardly yieldable member carried in the entrance mouth and projecting into the entry passage in the mouth.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein each end of the bag includes a ring connected to said shaft and means are provided to removably connect the rings to the shaft.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the ring at the mouth end of the bag is provided with an annular chamber circumposed about the entrance mouth, and an entrance port extending into the said chamber to permit the insertion of varying amounts of buckshot in the chamber to vary the weight of the lower end of the device.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein means are provided to adjust the length of the shaft, the said means being disposed between the upper end of the shaft and the point of securement of said exit port to said shaft.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS GEORGE J. MARLO, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 

